Visionary art

{{short description|Art that purports to transcend the physical world}}

{{More footnotes needed|date=January 2025}}

File:Alex Grey - COSM 4.jpg in The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors]]

Visionary art is art that purports to transcend the physical world and portray a wider vision of awareness including spiritual or mystical themes, or is based in such experiences.[http://alexgrey.com/media/writing/essays/what-is-visionary-art/ What is Visionary Art? by Alex Grey]

History

The Vienna School of Fantastic Realism, first established in 1946, is considered to be an important technical and philosophical catalyst in its strong influence upon contemporary visionary art.{{Cite web |url=http://academyofvisionaryart.com/information/visionary-art |title=Academy of Visionary Art |access-date=2014-01-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140312142009/http://academyofvisionaryart.com/information/visionary-art |archive-date=2014-03-12 |url-status=dead }}[http://visionaryrevue.com/webtext/manifesto.contents.html Manifesto of Visionary Art by L. Caruana] Its artists included Ernst Fuchs, Rudolf Hausner, Arik Brauer, Wolfgang Hutter and Anton Lehmden among others. Several artists who would later work in visionary art trained under Fuchs, including Mati Klarwein, Robert Venosa,[http://www.venosa.com/bio.html Robert Venosa biography] and De Es Schwertberger.

Definition

File:Laurence caruana in his Bastille studio.jpg with visionary art paintings.]]

Visionary art often carries themes of spiritual, mystical or inner awareness. Despite this broad definition, there does seem to be emerging some definition to what constitutes the contemporary visionary art 'scene' and which artists can be considered especially influential. Symbolism, Cubism, Surrealism and Psychedelic art are also direct precursors to contemporary visionary art. Notable visionary artists count Hilma af Klint, Hieronymous Bosch, William Blake, Morris Graves (of the Pacific Northwest School of Visionary Art), Emil Bisttram, and Gustave Moreau amongst their antecedents.

Schools and organizations

The Vienna School of Fantastic Realism, which includes Ernst Fuchs and Arik Brauer, is also a strong influence on visionary culture. It may also be considered the European version, with the names being interchangeable.{{cn|date=May 2022}}

The Society for the Art of Imagination, founded by Brigid Marlin serves as an important portal for visionary art events. More recently, a new wave of visionary artists collaborate to function as modern cooperatives involved in self-publishing and promotion of visionary artists through the internet and via festivals such as Burning Man and Boom Festival, and exhibition/ritual spaces such as Temple of Visions and the Interdimensional Art Movement.{{cn|date=May 2022}}

The American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland, is a museum devoted entirely to visionary art.

Gallery

File:Alex Grey Painting 4 cropped.jpg|A painting by Alex Grey

File:Templi dell'Umanità Damanhur.jpg|Hall of Mirrors,
Temples of Humankind, Federation of Damanhur

See also

{{columns-list|colwidth=45em|

  • {{annotated link|Burning Man}}
  • {{annotated link|Conceptual art}}
  • {{annotated link|Fantastic art}}
  • {{annotated link|Horror vacui (art)}}
  • {{annotated link|Outsider art}}
  • {{annotated link|Psychedelic art}}
  • {{annotated link|Surrealism}}
  • {{annotated link|Symbolism (movement)}}
  • {{annotated link|Temples of Humankind}}

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References

{{Reflist}}

=Sources=

  • Cosmic Art Ramond & Lila Piper (Hawthorne Books) {{ISBN|0-8015-1774-5}}, 1975
  • Celestial Visitations The Art of Gilbert Williams (Pomegranate Artbooks) {{ISBN|0-517-53900-4}}, 1979
  • ''Sacred Mirrors: The Visionary Art of Alex Grey", Carlo McCormick, Inner Traditions International, 1990
  • Raw Creation: Outsider Art and Beyond John Maizels,{{ISBN|0-7148-3149-2}}, 1996
  • The Art of Adolf Wolfli Elka Spoerri, Daniel Baumann and E. M. Gomez, {{ISBN|0-691-11498-6}}, 2003
  • Nothing Is True - Everything Is Permitted: The Life of Brion Gysin John Geiger, (The Disinformation Company), 130. {{ISBN|1932857125}}, 2005
  • Fantastic Art (Taschen) ( Schurian, Prof. Dr. Walter) {{ISBN|978-3-8228-2954-7}} (English edition), 2005
  • True Visions (Erik Davis and Pablo Echaurren) (Betty Books) {{ISBN|88-902372-0-1}}, 2006
  • Metamorphosis: 50 Contemporary Surreal, Fantastic and Visionary Artists (beinArt) {{ISBN|978-0-9803231-0-8}}, 2007

Further reading

  • 1975 - Cosmic Art Ramond & Lila Piper (Hawthorne Books) {{ISBN|0-8015-1774-5}}
  • 1979 - Celestial Visitations The Art of Gilbert Williams (Pomegranate Artbooks) {{ISBN|0-517-53900-4}}
  • 2005 - Fantastic Art (Taschen) ( Schurian, Prof. Dr. Walter) {{ISBN|978-3-8228-2954-7}} (English edition)
  • 2006 - True Visions (Erik Davis and Pablo Echaurren) (Betty Books) {{ISBN|88-902372-0-1}}
  • 2007 - Metamorphosis (beinArt) {{ISBN|978-0-9803231-0-8}}
  • 2011 - "Positive Creations" (Schiffer Publications) {{ISBN|978-0-7643-3913-4}}
  • 2016 - El Canto de Abraxas de Álvaro Robles G. (Editorial Salón Arcano) {{ISBN|978-987-42-2189-6}}